Citation

Abstract

Marine plankton account for much of the photosynthesis and respiration on our planet, and they influence the cycling of carbon and the distribution of nutrients on a global scale. Despite the fundamental importance of viruses to plankton ecology and evolution, most of the viruses in the sea, and the identities of their hosts, are unknown. This report is one of very few that delves into the genetic diversity within RNA-containing viruses in the ocean. The data expand the known range of viral diversity and shed new light on the physical properties and genetic composition of RNA viruses in the ocean.